UniPro Summit 2017: “Persist” was inspired by the heightened awareness of the cultural, political, and social justice issues that have arisen in our communities. While there is no easy answer on how to address or solve the issues that our Pilipino American communities face, UniPro centered these conversations and stories of social change through UniPro Summit 2017. Our call for persistence is a push for our community to stand up to the challenges confronting us and organize so that we can move forward together.

Through UniPro Summit 2017, we sought out to recognize and celebrate the diverse perspectives of our delegates, whether they are students, young professionals, or community leaders; from our local area or around the world. Our workshops and activities catered to the wide range of demographics in our community.

PROGRAM

Geena Rocero brought perspective as one of our keynote speakers. Geena is the founder of Gender Proud, an advocacy and media production company that tells stories to elevate justice and equality for the transgender community. On March 31, 2014, in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, Rocero came out as transgender at the annual TED Conference, her viral talk has since been viewed more than 3 million times and translated in 32 languages.

We also welcomed Christina Halpern Lewis as a keynote speaker. Christina is the Founder and Executive Director of All Star Code, a leading, nationally-recognized tech inclusion organization based in New York City that fosters entrepreneurial talent among high school boys of color and ensures they have the tools to succeed. She was recognized in 2016 as a “Woman of Power” by the National Action Network, in 2014 as a White House Champion of Change for STEM Access and in 2015 as an Echoing Green Black Male Achievement Finalist.